Should You Encourage Kindergarten Games Online?

By Expert Author: Donald Plehn

You, like many parents these days are probably a little concerned about the length of time your preschooler or kindergartener spends online. While there is sometimes reason to worry, there is also an lot of evidence that preschool and kindergarten games online are an essential part of development.

The Benefits

If you are worried that all of the time spent playing online games is completely wasted, you may want to think again. Recent studies have shown that the benefits of many of these games can outweigh much of the negative press they get. That’s not to say that the games shouldn’t be supervised and carefully selected, but here are just a few of the benefits you can expect to see from preschool and kindergarten games online.

- Problem Solving Skills: One of the best parts of many online games that are learning centered is that they help your child develop problem solving skills. Games like these encourage your child to think. They have to use those logical thinking skills and process data quickly. They don’t just passively observe the action in these games. Instead, they require ongoing input from your child, which means they’ll be using that brain power again and again while they’re online.

- Positive Reinforcement: Many of the preschool and kindergarten games online that encourage learning also offer lots of positive reinforcement. For example, phonics games sometimes give players rewards for their success, and as they reach higher and higher skill levels, they’re willing to take more chances to get that reinforcement that they want.

- Hand-Eye Coordination: Many preschool and kindergarten games online that are learning based help with hand-eye coordination. It’s an invaluable skill, and study after study has proven that even adults can improve this skill with these kinds of games, something every parent and child alike might be able to use.

- Creativity: Many child development experts will tell you how important creativity is to a child’s life, and this is where preschool and kindergarten games online really shine. They actually have the ability to encourage those creative self-expressions that are so essential for development. Because there are defined game rules and structures, your child is likely to find a great new way to express him or herself during the course of the game.

While you certainly don’t want your child to spend too much time in front of the screen, and you want to be a bit picky about which games you’re encouraging, you don’t have to shy away from screen time for your child. Instead, there are lots of reasons to encourage a bit of online play, particularly if you’re talking about helpful learning games that will ensure you’re putting your child on the right path toward learning.

Try an online program like ClickN KIDS. The curriculum is based on recommendations from the National Reading Panel and was developed by nationally recognized early education research professor J. Ron Nelson, Ph.D. Dr. Nelson is also Director of Curriculum Development for ClickN KIDS.